Safety device for electric cars.



J. E. HENDERSQN. SAFETY DBVICRFOR ELECTRIC CARS. APPLICATION ULEB MAY e,`191s.

1,094,564. Patented Aprgzs, 1914,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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J. E. HENDERSON. SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CARS. APPLIoA'IoN MLED MAY s, 191s.

1,094,564, Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2. 9 y /9 I9 JAMES E, HENDERSON, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 6. 1913.

Patented A pr. 28, V1914.

Serial No. 765.936.

To all whom, it may concern.:

Be it known that I.y .laines E. llicxnnizson, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birminghaim in the county of Jefferson and State. of Alabama7 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Electric Cars. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus de- Signed to auton'latically drop the car fender and stop the ear when a person or obstacle is'struck.

One object of my invention is to design a new and improved form of bull'er attachment which is constructed and yieldingly mounted on the car so that it will inflict the smallest possible injury to the person that it strikes. A further object of my invention is to adapt this butler. when any part thereof is pressed inwardly by striking against an object, to automatifailly operate various devices calculated to most' ellcctively protect the person struck.

ln my in'elerred arrangement the laill'er will release, the ordinary car fender and permit it to drop to the ground.r thereby protecting thc person .struck from Letting-nn4 der the wheels; it is also adapted to open a make and break switch in the main line circuit to the controller and eut olf current from the motors; it also. in cases where the car carries ai: air brake system` is adapted to operate a valve to apply the brakes,

A further object. ol my invention consists in the novel mean.` by which the butler acts y to operate the devices described and in the various other novel details otl construction and arrangements of parts4 which are hereina iter more particularly described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings7 in which r" Figure 1 a top plan view partly broken away of an electric motor car equipped with my invention. lfiggj. is a .side elevation of Fig. 1: and Fifi. il if; a diagrammatic view illustratingthe several operating` parts. and showing in plan view the details of theA butler;

Similar reference numerals refer to Isimilar parts throughout the drawings.

Accordingr to the preferred embodiment of my invention, I show ar motor car l having a front platform Q, a controller 3. a main faipply circuit 4 connected with the trolley pole 5, an air pipe leading:v from the pressure,

tank (3 to the air valve T. an air pipe tu leading from the valve 7 to the brake cylinder tl". and a fender (l, all of which may be of standard mnstruction.y except that I desire the fender to be hinged to the car to the brackets 10. chain il connected to the fendcrbar12 is adapted to be held in a clip 13 by means of a catch 1-1. which preferably a pin mounted to slide in a slot provided for it in the clip,y and held in its inner position by the spring '15. which is Jfastened to the clip or car, This chain serves to hold the forward end of the fender raised well above the track. At thel forward part of the car and in a position substantially midway between the platform and the ground.y I provide a series of depending brackets 1o and to cach ot' these I bolt or rivet a metal guide '1T disposed lengthwise ol the 'ai'. These guides are adapted to receive for sliding' movement ytherein the frame work ol" my de]iressihle butlerf which for lightness and trength is preferably formed of piping. The butler partsl are not rigidly connected, and comprise a series4 of parallel pipc- 18.. the inner end of cacli ot which is slidably mounted in one of the guides 1T and cach ot' which pipes has screwed on its outer end a T-couplingj 1S) between which and the guide 17 is interposed a coiled spring Q0 which surrounds the slidablc pipes 18 and holds them yieh'lingjly in their extreme outer or toi-ward position, A heavy coil spring 21 is stretched across from each couplinf r 19 to tht` adjacent couplingl` and connected thereto. Angle side hars Q2 are screwed into the outer leg ot' the two outside couplings. The slidable pipes 18 are transversely Slotted at their inner ends` and each has a grooved roller 23 jonrnaled in the slot, which rollersserve to arrest the outward movement of the slides under the influence otl their springs 20.

It cord, chain or wire 2l is fastened to a. pin or ]u; r 25 on the bottom of the car and is passed through the .slots in each of the slidable pipes 1S between the roller therein and the inner end of the pipe. The free end 0f the ropev or wire is passed around a pulley 2t) and connected to a spring 27, which in turn is connected by a lilik 28 to the outer end ot` a switch arm 29. This'arni 2f) is pivoled to a terminal l() mounted in an in'- fulatcd switch base 31 that is supported on a. bracket rl) attached to the car body. The

other terminal 33, which is bifureated to re x n normally open switrh. n meier is Connerr ln; n.

erin Si?. el

The *Lei-ini n: :mail: Cirielli, fl.

mild lll Mil grounded le lf vl, y

i and is 'vfrizlly Y en :il fnlurmn pnl il rigid @ver li) lans vinnie-eier] I in 'i l ree reds@ crible? er Chains lv-' lil .1nd l'. lit-n ir, l: lire-rl: ill-k: lever i l iw@ in dran' the hitch "l ne connection AVl-"l l klich.

when pnlied mit.

e evil* 4G, le snap pin permifs n, @prin fuflnnlefl i open and lnl'errnpt he rnnin li circuit 4 lending te ehe nmers. This swneli is menntn ed, on :i bracket attached to the ear, and lhs. pin is ln'ld by e. spring l?) le prevent Y. lng el l; swile'l. The pnl- L,mnrnziiwl en :1 breaker Si), under the The witch @il has n handle readily aeeessible from the front, of [he enr for resetling il. spring i?, en the pinta- HS serves le held the lever Yl0 pressed against a. step 5l :final held the paris in the position shown in. F 3. The eenneetion Ill passes t0 :i normally closed vulve 5l) in n bypass l eenneeting the nir pipes (l and 8 and Shunting ihe metermans nir vulve 7.

In operation.y when any part of the buffer strikes a persen. one er more of the slides l is thrust instantly inwardly against the cable 24, thereby aeingr to draw it about the pnlley 26 and eliilse'lhe switch urn; Ql. This energizes the seleneid 3G. which jerks the lever arm il@ se as iin exert a, pull en the ral ce #59e lf f1 nfl 474, nll of" mi h :nj-i slnnilm `wizsly :md respectively to dwp he lender.y lisennneet the meters and apply the brakes. lVhen a person strikes the coiled springe he will be largely proeeted from injury by the buffer itself. The spring 21' {elif-s np :my excess pull from the cable 24 on lhe switch arm.

Obviously the details ef construction may be varie' slyA r n ed and the relnl'ive loca- Lien nl par, r xd the mnner nl ilzsehn n'ilzmlt' lepnrl-l y inventifni.

fer carried by the. yCar in adyrinee of ihe fender, means operated by the depression,

ef the butler te elnse will shunt eireni. nul

energia smid inermi, and er eral inf-nn;

;l bj seni meter wlnrh, respf rely re he fender. apply ille nir brakes and misled i lender, :in nir b1 i' henkn pipe ennneffing smi l .nnlr and cylinder. mil la mire ner lilly Closing seid pipe. :i nisi'in infila-r eireni. :i normally Closed lsv-.Meli lwrein. oper lng een:-r` llene leadlfe und sul, la, an elei trie ineens mlznn-nusly epernlng seid mnnecllnnr. 1d flepressible briller furled by lze enr in nrlmnee lhe fender and adapted when depressed le fnvrsize said eleetrie means. slzbslunlinlly :is described.

The eembinnion Willi n, enr having zi Verf'zilly movable fender, means lio held the 'fender raised. n lmller fnrried by the enr in freni of the fender and eenprising spring pressed reds llenx ed at their outer ends, n, llC-Xible opernl'inr Cnnnevtien :nliipled in be nrinilvd by eur-l1 nr :ill if said rods, i melnr, menne ronirelleel by ihe :retunien of said Connefftien to ener-grae said meter, and means operziled by seid meter to release the fender, substantially as deseribed. il. The eembinnrion with n ear having' u vertically .movable fender, means te held llle fender raised, a bnil'er carried by the enr in front of the fender :ind comprising springpressed rods flexibly Connected al; their outer ends. :1 flexible operating connection adapted t0 be nctnfilerl by eneh nr all of said rods7 n, motor. Ineens nentrolleil by the aeluaitien of said fenneeiion lo energize said meier, un air brake, nnd means operated by seid meier te release the fender and apply said airfbrnker` substantially us described.

The combination with :1. ear having a fender pivol'zilly eenneeted thereto, of n buffer yieldingly mounted on the enr in advance of the fender. said buffer comprising a. coiled spring eennecling the outer ends of sliding men'ibers` a esiteh to hold the free end of the fender elevated, and means movable Vrimpensive ln 'rhe independen depressien ef :my one of said slidingr members for releasing seid mieli and dropl'iing the fender, es .find im? ille pnrpeses described.

lf?. The erimbinalzienwith n. ear and a Verlienlly adjustable fender and catch means to hglrl it; elevated, of n depressible buffer cnrriecl by the enr in advance ef the fender and enmprising a, series of spaced brackets Carried by the ear, rees hrizenl'nlly and independenlly movable. in said brackets, spring means le keep the reds pressed forward, steps to arrest the forward movement of the rods, coiled the enter ends of the rods, and a common Control means actuated by any one of said and adapted to control independent rods substair said catch means for the fender, tially as described.

7. The combination with a, rar having a main power circuit, a switch therein, a hinged tender and a catch to hold it elevated, of a y'depressible buffer carried by the car in advance of the fender.y an electric control circuit, aswiteh in said control eireuit, means controlled the depression of said butter to close said control switch, an electric motor energized by the closingr of said circuit, and means operated by the uiotor to release said catch and drop the fender and to open said switch in the main power eircuit.

8. The combination with a car having a hinged fender and a catch.to hold it elevated, of a depressible butter carried by the ear in advanee'of the fender, an electric circuit, a switch in said circuiti7 means conn trolletl by the depression of said buffer to close said switch, an electric motor energized by the closing of said circuit, and means operated by the motor to release said catch and drop the fender.

9. The combination with a car having a hinged fender and a catch to hold it ele vated, of means to release said catch comprising a depressible buffer consisting of rods, means flexibly connecting,n said rods at their outer ends, guides through which the inner ends of the rods project, and spring means to hold the rods in their extreme torward' position; a flexible connection attached to the ear at one end, means to hold the connection in position to be moved by the depression of any ot' said buffer rods, and means operated by said eminection to release said catch i0. The combination, with an electric ear having a hinged normally raised tender and an air brake system,r of a buffer comprising rods which extend forward of the ear, guides in whieh saidrods are slidably mounted and beyond which the rear ends of the rods project and are slotted, a flexible connection attached at one end to the ear and passed through said slots, and several means operated by said connection when moved by any of the said rods, and adapted to siniultane ously drop the fender, apply'the air brakes and interrupt the current', supply to the car.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

R. D. JOHNSTON, Jr., NoMIn WELSH 

